Now don’t be overwhelmed by this one, folks! There may look like a lot of steps, but they’re all really easy to do, and it doesn’t take all that long to put together. So stick with it, and don’t be afraid to give this flavour packed meal a try!

As a kid, I rarely ever ate carrots. Even now, I’m not the world’s biggest carrot fan! But when I was younger and Mum made roast dinners, she used to make these amazing honey glazed carrots. Which was funny, because I also hated honey! The irony, right? But anyway, these carrots were lightly sweetened, perfectly cooked through, and truly just divine. They (and potato) were my favourite parts of our classic family roast dinners growing up!

One day, I found myself really craving these carrots. I wanted the sweetness, the crisp outer, followed by the soft, inner centre.. But as I said, I have never enjoyed honey other than in this dish, so it has never had a place in my pantry. And well, since becoming vegan, suffice to say, I needed to adapt, and this is the deliciousness I ended up with!

2. Firstly, make the chickpea mix by combining all the ingredients in a mixing bowl. Pour this mixture onto one of the trays, making sure it’s spread out evenly, and place in the oven and roast for about 30 minutes, giving the mixture a stir on the tray about half way through.

3. While the chickpeas are roasting, chop your vegetables, keeping them all similar in size, and add into the mixing bowl. Add a splash of olive oil, if using, and stir in your spices, making sure the vegetables are coated evenly.

4. Place on the second baking tray and put in the oven. The veggies should take about 40 minutes to roast. Make sure you turn the tray around half way through cooking, just to keep it even.

5. Finally, prepare your carrots! Chop the tips off and place in the mixing bowl with the herbs, dukkah, oil and maple syrup. Get your hands in there and coat the carrots evenly with the mix. Set aside.

6. By this point, the chickpea mix should be finished cooking. Scoop the mix off the tray into a clean bowl, and set aside.

7. Space your carrots evenly onto the, now empty, baking tray, and put back in the oven for 20 minutes, or until the carrots are soft.

8. Once everything is roasted, spoon half the chickpea mix into a large serving dish, top with the roast vegetables, cover with the remaining chickpeas and top with your roast carrots.. Sprinkle with the dish with some extra dukkah, and serve!

The reason I chose maple syrup over other sweeteners like agave or rice malt is because I find maple adds a darker, more caramel type flavour which, I feel, matches perfectly with carrots. Personally, I think it’s even better than honey carrots (sorry, Mum!), but feel free to use whichever sweetener you prefer.

In all honesty though, I really do love this dish.. It’s hearty, comforting, and simply just delicious! Yes, it does require a little effort, but you know how the saying goes.. Sometimes good things don’t come easy. So I do hope you give it a try, and as always, I love feedback, so let me know if you make it! 🙂

Happy eating, friends.

Ash x

Recipe first published in the Table Of Plenty Winter Warmers eBook, available as a free download here.